Illuminated writing instrument



L. F. HART. ILLUMINATED WRITING INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 10, I917.

. Patented July 22, 1919.

W ll /(E il; E lu lluviiivw. H u ,l J l i LOUIS F. HART, F GRO'ION, NEW YORK.

ILLUMINATED WRITING INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 19119.

Application filed October 10, 1917. Serial No. 195,791.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs F. HART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Groton, in the county of Tompkins and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Illuminated Writing Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has for its object to provide an illuminated writing instrument of simple and inexpensive construction by which a circular beam of light is thrown upon the writing sheet around the point of the pencil or pen.

Another object is the provision of an illuminated writing instrument in which the parts are readily accessible and removable for repair or replacement.

With these and other objects, the invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed. For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the followingdescription and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the illuminated pencil,

Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal sectional view therethrough, and

Fig. 3 represents a perspective View of the combined pencil and lamp holder detached from the battery holder or casing.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several. views, the numeral 5 indicates 'a hollow cylindrical casing or holder having an external flange 6 adjacent one of its open ends forming an abutment for the detachable cap 7, which is secured in position by pins 8 engaging in bayonet slots 9. A preferred type of clip 10 is permanently secured to the cap 7 for convenience in retaining the instrument in the pocket of the user.

The end of the casing 5 opposite the shoulder 6 is reduced in diameter to provide an internal shoulder 11 against which the springs arms 12 of the reflector 13 are seated. The reflector 13 supports a lamp socket 14 in which an incandescent lamp 15 is secured, and the terminals of the spring arms 12 opposite the reflector 13 are eX- tended in converging relation and are connected by a tubular pencil or pen holder 16, proylded wit-h an integral flange l7 spaced a distance inwardly of the open end of the casing 5. The reflector 13, socket 1 1, spring arms 12, and pencil holder 16 all constitute a unit which may be readily removed from the lower end of the casing, when requlred, the arms 12 engaging the inner wall of the casing so as to hold socket l-t properly centered therein.

A sleeve 18 is detachably secured over the reduced terminal of the casing 5 and is provided with an inwardly directed flange'19 disposed in spaced relation to the flange 17 and cooperating therewith to secure the transparent member or lens in position. The lens is provided with a central aperture'recciving the pencil holder 16 and is firmly and detachably held in position in the illuminated terminal of the casing 5 by the flanges 17 and 19. The lens20 cooperates with the detachable sleeve 18 to hold the pencil holder 16 in centered position in the end of the casing. This lens also serves, due to its engagement with flange 17, in con- ]unction with sleeve 18 and flange 19 there of, as a supplemental supporting means to hold the socket 14 in raised position for engagement with contact member or pole 24: of the battery.

A pen, pencil or other type of writing instrument 21 is frictionally held in the tubular holder 16 and the writing point 22 thereof is spaced a distance from the illuminated terminal of the casing 5.

An electric battery 23 is partially received within the casing 5 and cap 7 and one pole 24 thereof is engaged with the center electrode of the lamp 15. The other electrode of the lamp 15 is electrically connected to the socket 14 and spring arms 12 with the metallic casing 5. The opposite terminal of the battery 23 is engaged by a spring 25 carried by an insulator 26 positioned in the closed end of the cap 7, whereby the pole piece 24 of the battery' is normally retained in engagement with the center electrode of the lamp 15. The spring 25 is electrically connected with the opposite pole of the battery and is also connected with a contact member 27 secured in the insulator 26 and adapted to be engaged by the angular terminal 28 of a. slide bar 29, which latter is confined between the cap 7 and a sleeve 30 positioned therein. The terminal of the slide bar 29 opposite the angular extremity 28 is offset as indicated at 30 and extended throu h a slot 31 formed in the cap 7 and is provided with a button 32 for convenience in sliding the bar longitudinally in the cap 7.

In its inoperative position, the slide :bar 29 is moved toward the closed end of the cap 7 so as to space the angular terminal 28 thereof from the contact member 27 and thus break the electrical circuit to the lamp 15. However, when it is desired to light the lamp, as when using the writing instrument, the slide bar is pushed forwardly toward the illuminated terminal of the casing 5, thus bringing the angular terminal 28 thereof into engagement with the cont-act member 27 and thus closing the electrical circuit to the lamp 1 5, which latter is illuminated. The li ht from the lamp 15 is reflected by the re ector 13 and projected through the lens 20 on to the writing sheet for convenience in writing in the dark.

What I claim is:

1. An illuminated writing instrument including a casing, a lamp socket positioned within the casing adjacent one end of the same, spring arms connected to the lamp socket engaging the casing and retaining.

the socket in centered position therein, and a writing means carried by said arms.

2. An illuminated writing instrument including a casing, a lamp socket positioned in the casing, a reflector carried by the socket, a lamp positioned in the socket, a pair of spring arms carried by the reflector and engaging the interior of the casing to retain the socket in centered position therein, and

, a writing means carried by the spring arms.

3. An illuminated writing instrument including a casing, a lamp socket positioned in the casing, a lamp positioned in the socket, a pair of spring arms carried by the socket and engaging the interior of the casing so as to retain the socket centered in position therein, a tubular pencil holdercarried by the spring arms at the outer ends thereof,

a flange on the tubular pencil holder, a.

ceiving the pencil holder so as to retain the same centrally of the casing.

4. In an illuminated pencil, a casing provided adjacent one end with an inner annular shoulder, a reflector provided with a pair of outwardly converging resilient arms, said arms engaging the inner wall of the casing adjacent said shoulder so as to support the reflector therein and'hold the same in centered position within the casing, a socket carried by said reflector, a lamp mounted in said socket, a battery mounted within the casing and having one pole in engagement with one pole of the lamp, means for controlling the lamp circuit, a tubular pencil holder carried by said arms at the outer ends thereof and serving to integrally unite the arms, a lens fitting snugly within the end of the casing and provided with a central aperture snugly retaining said pencil holder, and-means for securing said lens in position, the lens serving to hold the pencil holder centered in the casing and to hold said arms of the reflector agamst looseness or play.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS F. HART.

Witnesses Bron S. VHITMAN, EDWIN F. HOPKINS. 

